James Lawrence

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Mindset & Resiliency Expert: Redefine Impossible

Iron Cowboy: The Story of the 50.50.50 | Trailor

Speech Topics

While James is an astonishing athlete, sport is really not what he talks about. He is a master of mindset, focus, and of managing self-doubt. This is what he teaches.

James talks about the incredible power of hope and teamwork. He speaks about accountability, both to yourself and to your team. He shows his audience how to remove excuses from their own lives in order to unlock more ability.

In one of the most moving sections of Redefine Impossible, James reflects on his time with Dayton Hayward, a boy with Cerebral Palsy who loved to feel the wind in his face. James teamed up with Dayton and pulled, pushed, and carried him through an entire Ironman race. During that race, despite the increased physical demands, James gained a deeper understanding of perspective and privilege. As James shares in his presentation, “I remember looking at him many times that day, thinking Dayton can’t swim, he can’t bike, he can’t run… but I get to swim today, I get to ride today, I get to run today. Despite the pain, all of that is a privilege.”

Whether speaking to a room full of C-suite leaders, an international sales team, a finely tuned military group, or any one of countless professional sports teams, James’ expertise is in teaching people to change how they think in order to remove self-imposed limits.

Key takeaways:

Aim higher
Set milestones
Do the small things right
Overcome personal limitations
Overcome your fear

Today, we’re faced with mounting pressures, demands from every angle, being told we need to do more—except with less resources. In this talk, James Lawrence brings his combination of energy, humor, determination, and achievements to captivate the audience and create an inspirational and awakening phenomenon for all. James’ story of reaching new limits is one that all of us can relate to—in business, at home, in school. He is an ordinary guy, whose extraordinary personal story will make you laugh, cry, reflect, and leave you inspired to reach higher. James has spoken all over the world, on stages in more than 20 countries.

Biography

Known as “The Iron Cowboy” for the signature cowboy hat he wears while running races so his five kids can see him coming from far away, James Lawrence is an ultra-endurance athlete who has pushed himself beyond what many doctors previously believed to be physiologically possible. In so doing, he has redefined both mental toughness and physical endurance.

Originally a high school wrestler, James spent a decade in the mortgage and finance business before losing it all in the financial crisis of 2008. At rock bottom, his career as the greatest endurance athlete on the planet started quite humbly, struggling to complete a local 4-mile fun run with his wife. Inspired by that experience, on that day he learned a lesson that has served him well ever since:

“Everyone’s ‘hard’ is different. Back then, four miles was really difficult for me. I learned that one of the most important things in life is to just show up.”

You’ve surely heard of an Ironman; 2.4-mile swim + 112-mile bike + 26.2-mile run. In 2012, James did 30 of those in one year. This put him in the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 2015, he went further. He completed the 50-50-50; 50 Ironman distance triathlons, in 50 consecutive days, in 50 different states. He did this while raising money to combat childhood obesity. This astounding accomplishment is the subject of the critically acclaimed Amazon Prime documentary; Iron Cowboy: The Story of the 50.50.50. But that wasn’t enough.

In 2021, he did the unimaginable. This time, he completed The CONQUER 100: 100 Ironman distance triathlons in 100 consecutive days! That’s 140.6 miles per day, every day, for 14 straight weeks, for a total of 14,060 miles! This time he raised money to combat sex trafficking. The Iron Cowboy: Conquer 100 was also explored in a documentary film.

Between his triathlon feats of strength, James has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro on a bicycle, completed the Fiji Eco-Challenge, completed the Race Across America, participated in the Norseman World Championship, and completed a 235-mile run across Greece.

Today, James is one of the most dynamic, inspiring, larger than-life keynote speakers in the world, having shared his astonishing story in 50 different countries across the globe reaching millions of people. He is a best-selling author and the subject of a critically acclaimed feature film. He continues to redefine the impossible in his own life, while teaching audiences around the world to do the same in their own lives.

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